The ongoing adventures of a father who is finally finding the answers by dedicating himself to his family.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Just Doing It

Like
Nike says, just do it. I had one of those days yesterday where there
are so many potential things that need to be done that it makes me
want to simply shut down. Back when I was single, that's probably
exactly what I would have done, but now that I'm a real man in
training, there's simply no time to sit around feeling sorry for
myself and I have to take action and just do it. Life is much more
satisfying that way, and real men don't become real men by whining,
do they?

The
weather was beautiful and I finally had a chance to do some outside
stuff. The incessant rain has not only encouraged the growth of the
lawn, but it makes it hard to mow it. Not impossible, but cutting the
grass in the rain is a drag, not to mention a little precarious
because we have hills. Either way, the day of reckoning had arrived,
and the time to act was now. Complicating the matter was the usual
domestic duties of preparing meals and cleaning up afterward, which
not only takes time but breaks the rhythm of the day, not that I'm
whining, of course.

N
also had a dentist's appointment in the AM, so we had to go to that,
but as soon as we got home, I went to work. First I made the kids
lunch and did the dishes. In the back of my mind I knew I had to make
supper, but the dish was a one bowl meal, so I could put it off until
about an hour before supper, leaving the afternoon open. The kids
made plans to meet up with friends later for a swim, so my day was
open. I first went to mom's garden to augment her trellis because the
current one was too small. I rigged something with 6 foot stakes and
some deer fencing, which I hope will hold. It met with mom's
approval, so it's a step in the right direction.

Next
up was my own garden plot, which is ready to be planted. I have about
15% of it filled, but there's still plenty of space for more
tomatoes, which are growing like gangbusters in the greenhouse. I put
a few more into the ground, bringing the total to about 15, though I
have about 70 more. Is that crazy, or what? There is also zucchini,
cucumbers, and basil, though my primary focus is growing tomatoes, as
you can well see. After attending to my green thumb, I came home and
spent about an hour cutting wood, which is actually moving along
nicely. My goal, which I just thought of, is to get this year's wood
split and stacked by the end of the month. Yeah right, good luck with
that one, though it's about 70% done.

After
the wood, I figured the best plan was to make supper because the
woodpile and the lawn can slide, but mealtime cannot. I came in and
prepared the meal, and then I had about half an hour before mom got
home and we sat down to eat, so I had to make a decision. Do I sit
back and wait, or go for it? As any real-man in training can tell
you, of course I went for it. I broke out the lawnmower and started
cutting the grass. Yes, I was tired and hungry, but you really have
to seize the opportunity when it's given to you. How else can you
justify all that patting your giving yourself on your back?

I
managed to get the mowing done just as mom pulled into the driveway,
which also gave me some street cred with her. It's always good to
accrue points when you can. We sat down to supper and afterward A
went to sleep over at a friends, then mom and I went to the garden to
do some weeding and to check on the new bionic trellis. Then it was
Miller Time, one of my favorite times of the day.

Until
the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Mark for the pic.